I've actually been curious about that. For all the zillion things I can configure in my Honda Passport, I can apparently not turn that annoying feature off. It's OK. I just reflexively hit the button when I start the car now. But I assume having it non-configurable factors into some fleet MPG calculation.
(It's annoying because it interjects a slight delay when I make a left-hand turn.)
Sad that this is what it's come to, but here we are.
I was considering purchasing a Honda recently, and this was one of the things I investigated. Like you, I consider the hesitation imposed by this mechanism to be annoying, and in addition, dangerous.
I hate sticking third-party modules into my vehicles but I also hate the hesitation on uncontrolled left-hand turns in particular. Seems dangerous. I've pretty much just made it a reflex to hit the turn-off button when I turn on the car. At least it's easy once a reflex.
Too bad. It seems a great vehicle otherwise. Like it a lot more than my previous 4Runner.
> but I also hate the hesitation on uncontrolled left-hand turns in particular. Seems dangerous.
Bingo. This is exactly where it scares me, particularly when I'm already in an intersection.
> I've pretty much just made it a reflex to hit the turn-off button when I turn on the car. At least it's easy once a reflex.
My daily driver is old enough not to have auto stop/start. My problem is my wife's vehicle has it. She instinctively turns it off as soon as she's in the vehicle. Because I only drive her vehicle sporadically, I don't have the muscle memory to do that, so it inevitably catches me by surprise.
It's pretty idiotic I can permanently turn off a bunch of the safety features on the car but not this. As you say, it's pretty reflexive to just turn it off when you start the car if you're used to it. When I do a road trip with a friend when we share driving, I always have to remember to reach over and turn it off for her because it annoys her as much as it annoys me.
With manual transmission it doesn’t add any delay imo, the engine starts (in Volvo/Ford? implementation?
) by pressing the clutch so engine is always responsive when depressing.
I also appreciate that it reduces cancer in city residents. Diesel consumption in city driving seems to be some 30% lower and I expect emissions to be around the same factor.
In many places it’s actually illegal to sit at a red light or intersection with your car in neutral, foot off the clutch. You’ll fail your driving test if you do that.
If there is an emergency, getting moving is much slower than if you were in gear, foot on clutch.
> In many places it’s actually illegal to sit at a red light or intersection with your car in neutral, foot off the clutch.
If we are talking about the US, AFAICT, it is legal to do this in all 50 states. However, neutral coasting on a downgrade is illegal in several states. I was taught to put the car in neutral whenever a longer wait is anticipated to reduce stress on the clutch (I don't know if it actually reduces stress or not).
> You’ll fail your driving test if you do that
This is possibly true; at least where I am there are about a dozen perfectly legal things that can potentially cause you to fail your driving test.
I had points deducted on my test for not pressing the button on the automatic gearshift selector when changing from Reverse to Drive.
(It's annoying because it interjects a slight delay when I make a left-hand turn.)